Liquid dispensing container



May 18, 1943 s. s. RAND LIQUID DISPENSING CONTAINER Filed May 16, 1940 4 N e: f3'

INVENTOR .Sidney 5. Rand i BY I @WL/JVM Patented May 18, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE `LIQUID DISPENSING CONTAINER Sidney S. Rand, New York, N. Y.

Application May 16, 1940, Serial No. 335,479

2 Claims.

My present invention relates to liquid dispensing containers, and more particularly to a novel and improved type of package-container adapted to dispense liquids, such as beverages, which hold gas under pressure in solution.

Y One of the primary objections to present methods of dispensing beer, for example, from the bottle or metallic can types of containers, is the fact that once the container has been opened the beer rapidly goes fiat due to the carbon dioxide gases escaping from the liquid. Hence, it is not considered practical to put up beer in large size packages. Again,'the opening of the metal can type of beer container is often a vexatious matter. Of course, where it is desired to employ a Wooden container, of a size sufdciently small to be kept in `the average home refrigerator, for packaging beer, itis considered impractical due to the inevitable bung hole and faucet. Yet beer on Adraught in the home refrigerator Vis a highly attractive and desirable objective for the beer industry.

Accordingly, it may be stated to be of the main,

objects of my present invention to provide a com-.1

`n'riaterial; .there being lemployed a liquid dis,-

pensing mechanism `whichvnormally does not eX- tend beyond the container surface, and the dispensingmechanism being so constructed' that it, simultaneously provides a liquid outlet andan air'inlet to the container interior. i

Still another objectv of my inventionis to provide, a liquid container provided with ahighly simplified dispensingfmechanism; -which simultaneously provides an air `port tothe container interior and aliquid outlet upon actuation of .the

i mechanism; andsaidcontainer being capableof dispensing beverageswhether alcoholic or not;` foil; beverages .containing gases under pressure ,andthe like. i

And still other objects are to improve generally the simplicity and eciency of liquid packages of the dispensing type, and more especially to provide beer containers ofztliedispensing type which are not only reliable and durable, but are easily and economically manufactured.

The Vnovel features which I believe to be characteristic of my invention are set forth in particularity in the appended claims; the invention itself, however, as to both its construction and method of operation will best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the drawing in which I have indicated digrammatically a construction whereby my invention may be carried into eiect.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan View of the container, a portion on the right being broken away,

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2--2 of Fig. 1, and looking in the direction of the arrows,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3 3 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, and showing the dispensing mechanism actuated to open position.

Referring, now, to the accompanying drawing, wherein like reference characters in the different gures designate similar structural elements, the numeral l denotes a hollow container of rectangular cross-section. While the container is shown as composed of metal, such as tin, yet it may, of course, be made of wood or even glass. The container may have a circular cross-section, if desired; it may also have any other desired conguration. The numeral 2 indicates the liquid contents of the container, and as stated previously, such contents may be beer, whiskey, wine, soda water, oil. In fact any well-known form of liquid which is dispensed from metal or wooden containers may be packaged in the container of my invention.

Assuming for the present case that the liquid 2 is a beverage which is carbonated, such as beer, there is provided a dispensing device which is illustratively loca-ted adjacent one end of .the container. The dispensing mechanism is so conl structed that it simultaneously provides an air vent, or port, to the container interior, and also provides an outlet for the liquid. The dispensing mechanism specically consists of a tubular casing 3 whose upper end is joined to the upper face I" of the container by an outwardly flared wall 4.

Y The wall 4 may be struck out from the face l', or

its upper edge may be soldered to an opening in the face I for the purpose. The lower end of ythe casing is provided with a circular ledge or k shoulder 5 whose diameter is smaller .than the diameter of the cross-section of the main bore of the-casing 3. The lower end of the casing `is provided with a cup-shaped valve seat 6. From Fig. 3 it will be noted that the bore 3' of the cylinder` 3 communicates through the narrower passage 5' with the downwardly-facing seat 6. The casing 3 is preferably positioned centrally of the face I', and may be spaced a small distance from the left edge of the latter as suggested in Fig. l.

In the lower Iace 'I of the container there is provided a second valve seat 8 which is provided with a central opening 9 whose diameter may be equal to the diameter of the bore 5'. The valve seat 8 is preferably provided by stamping out a portion of the lower face 'I in the manner shown in Fig. 3. During the stamping process the margin of the valve seat 8 is provided with a recess I0, which is circular in shape. Thev purpose of this circular recess is to provide a circular ridge which is adapted to prevent the liquid issuing through the opening 9 from trickling along the lower face Within the casing 3 there is disposed a valve stem I I whose diameter is substantially smaller than the diameter of the bore 3', and is considerably smaller than the diameter of the bore 5'. The lower end of the stem i i is secured to a convex male valve element i2 which is adapted to snugly fit the valve seat 5 when in the position shown in Fig. 2.

The upper end of stem l I may be provided with a central bore i3, and the lower end of the bore bends at a right angle to the vertical portion thereof and provides an air communication into the bore 3. This is shown more particularly in Fig. 3 wherein the horizontal section of the bore bears the numeral 4. The upper end of the stem l! has an outer thread so that a manuallymanipulable button I5 may be threadedly secured to the upper end of stem il. The button I5 has an outer diameter which is equal to the diameter oi' the bore 3', and is provided with a central bore I3' which is in axial alignment with the bore I3. The bore I5', as shown in Fig. 2, terminates in a wider bore which is threaded so that it may co-operate with the outer thread on the upper end of stem I i. The upper end of bore I 3' opens into the transverse groove, or slot, .28 provided in the upper end of button l5.

Fig. 2 shows that substantially half the body of the button I5 extends above the base of the shallow depression while the other half is located for reciprccation within the bore 3 of casing 3. The slot 2i; should have a suicient depth so that when the linger of the operator is placed on the upper face of the button for depressing the same, in order to open the liquid outlet valve, there will be sufficient air space through the ends of the Slot 2E) so as to permit air to enter bore I3 and thereby travel through bores i3 and E4 into the bore t'. It should also be noted that the upper end of button i5, in its normal ciosed position, is below the face i'. This means that there is no protruding element in the upper face of the container which might serve as an obstacle when the container is placed, for example, in a home refrigerator.

The valve I2 is maintained snugly seated in its seat 6 by virtue of a coil spring 2l which is concentric with stem II and is compressed in position between the lower end of button l5 and the casing shoulder 5. The spring 2l normally presses up against the lower face of the button I5 and therefore maintains the valve 1?;-8 airtight. The various elements of casing and its associated elements of the valve may be all made of brass, and the lower end oi stem Ii may, if desired, be threaded into the upper portion of valve member i2. The latter may be hemisphericai and of the exact configuration of seat t.

Simultaneously with the actuation of button I5 to open the air inlet Valve I2-6, there occurs the opening of the liquid outlet valve. The latter is provided by a male valve member 33 whose upper face has the convex configuration of the lower face of valve seat 8. The valve members I2 and 36 are rigidly coupled by a second stem 4U which may have the same cross-sectional diameter as the stem II. The length of stem 4U will, of course, depend upon the distance between the seat 8 and the valve member I2. It is desirable that the valve seat 8 and valve member 3G be shallow so that there will be a minimum of Yliquid remaining on the bottom of the container.

The opposite ends of stem 4l) may be threaded so that they can be threadedly secured to valve members I2 and 3c. By providing the threaded engagements between the stems II and 40 and their associated valve members it becomeseasy to assemble or dis-assemble the valve mechamsm.

It will now be seen that the air inlet valve and the liquid outlet valve are actuated in unison by depressing button I5. Assuming that the interior of the container has been iilled with beer, the container can be placed in any home refrigerator without fear of its presenting any external obs'tacles to other articles in the refrigerator. Not only does the button I5 fail to extend beyond face I', but the lower face of valve member 3 is contiguous with the face 1. Hence, in the normal, or closed position of the valve mechanism, the container externally presents the appearance of smooth Walls. By pressing down on the button I5, seat member I2 is moved downwards thereby permitting air communication into the interior of the container. As explained previously, the air path is through the ends of slot 2, into bores I3', I3 Vand I4, through bore 3 and through bore 5'.

By virtue of the fact that the finger of the operator is positioned over the slot 20 and above the upper end of bore I3', any liquid which may be ejected upwardly by the pressure within the container will be prevented from squirting upward-- ly. Whatever liquid does escape will collect within the shallow depression 4. As the air inlet valve I2-5 is opened, the liquid outlet valve 35i-8 is opened and the liquid will smoothly issue through the opening 9, as shown in Fig. 3. It will, therefore, be seen that in the present invention it is not necessary to provide any special air vent as is common in prior metallic beer containers. Furthermore, the containers may be made up in any desired sizes since both valves are air-tight and hence do not permit the carbonated liquid within the container to become flat.

It is to be understood that the valve member 30, stem 40 and seat 8 may all be made of brass. Further, the seat 8 may be a separate element and have its ends soldered to face 'l if desired. It will also be noted that when the liquid in the container falls below the level of bore I, there will be very littletendency for* the liquid to squirt upwardly through bore I3' when the air valve is open.

While I have indicated and described a construction for carrying my invention into eiect,`it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that my invention is by no means limited to the particular construction shown and described, but that many modifications may be made Without departing from the scope of my invention, as set forth in the appended claims.V

What I claim is: p

1. In a liquid container having substantially plane walls, a liquid dispensing mechanism comprising a liquid outlet Valve in one wall, said outlet valve having its valve seat and closure element wholly in the plane of said one wall, an air inlet control valve projecting from a parallel, spaced wall into solely the container interior, and means responsive to actuation of said air inlet vaive for actuating said liquid outlet Valve, said means comprising a rod interconnecting the two valves, a depressible button operatively associated with the mobile element of the air inlet valve and said button being provided with a bore therethrough whereby to provide an air passage between said air inlet control .valve and the exterior of said container.

2. In a liquid container of the type comprising spaced walls arranged in substantial parallelism, a liquid outlet control means comprising a valve seat provided in the plane of one wall, a closure element normally seated in said seat and having a stem projecting into' the container interior, means providing an air inlet chamber housing a portion of the stem, an air inlet control valve comprising a valve seat located wholly within the container interior and at the said chamber outlet, a closure element on said stem portion, means normally biasing said last element into seated position at said chamber outlet, said last closure element being provided With a depressible button, said button being located at the end of said stem and being substantially flush with the plane of the wall opposite to said one Wall, said button being provided with an air inlet bore communicating with said chamber interior, and depression of said button actuating said stem thereby to unseat said rst closure element.

SIDNEY S. RAND. 

